How Did We Get This Way?
by finnysea
Summary: Prequel to Why Does He Care? Sadiq, a traveler on his way to America, stumbles across a young pup down on his luck. He names the pup Dadaş and together the two try to make it in life, no matter how short their sentence is. GreecexTurkey. I do not own Hetalia!
1. Man, Meats, Dog

In a dusty green pen outside of a rundown neighborhood, a light brown puppy whimpered under a discarded newspaper. He was freezing in the open winter air. The lacy snowflakes plummeting from the grey sky were beautiful but gave a false security. How could something so sweet be so unforgiving and frosty? Snow and slush was moved aside under four feet covered with rags. A pair of underfed boys hopped by, ignoring the bundle of wrinkles in the corral. The tiny puppy didn't expect anyone to pay attention to him. They had their own problems. Crime was skyrocketing. The slew of lost jobs made it hard to keep, or even put, edible objects on the table. In fact, the table may just be a cardboard box or the dirty floor.

The wind picked up again, blowing the baby animal's ears to one side. Looking around with his one green eye and one light blue eye he saw a mother cat walking along. She wasn't a well fed or groomed animal but her long coat made it seem as though she was once stunning. After the scruffy beast a trio of multicolored kittens tumbled. The siblings chewed each others' ears and tails in a happy manner. It seemed as though just being around others who cared, having someone to always protect you, was enough to stay happy. All four felines were fur and bones. But still the kittens played with their mother's grey tail. He watched with wanting eyes until the mother led her family under a crumbling building.

The puppy missed his own mother. His mother was a large spotted Pit Bull, beaten to death by a man desperate for food. The mother and child were trying to get back to their home under an abandoned warehouse when a skeleton of a man had staggered toward them, grabbing the pup. In the struggle to evade the man, his brave mother had ripped him away from the man and shoved the puppy to the side. Her pup barely avoided the shard of jagged glass the man used to end her existence. The puppy witnessed the ugly brute bend down to look at her corpse. He flinched from under a dumpster as his parent was tasted and carried away.

Brought back to the present, the cold afternoon carried on as usual. The area's painful midday orchestra was playing with a sudden breaking of glass here and a retching sound there. Having been in the same place for several weeks, the puppy was used to it but scared. How much longer he could survive off what others forgot in the streets like this? Life was indefinite. The small animal's future was as clouded as a misty mirror.

He heard heavy boots clacking on the crummy concrete street. Poking his head out from the yellowing newspaper, he saw a large man with a messenger bag under his muscular arm. It was strange to see anyone as well dressed as the man. His long olive coat swirled in the wind, his hat was as red as the result of the street fights, and his bag was bulging. The pup wondered if he had any food to spare. He yipped.

The man turned, looking around, "Eh? Who's there?"

To the puppy's surprise, the man took a sharp knife out of his bag's side pocket. Everyone in the area usually used glass, rusty chains, or their bare fists to fight. The tall man with a Turkish accent slowly eyed every inch of the street. He eased his grip on the knife as his dark eyes landed on the green pen. He gave it a little kick with his black boot. The animal inside fell over and he yelped in the process. Before he could get back up, two gloved hands picked up the sack of fur and bones.

Now close to the man's face, the puppy could make out features. His face was questioning and intelligent with stubble on the chin, his eyes were as dark as the night sky, and he was much taller than the pup expected. The man turned the puppy over and over again as if he were a collector's item being examined. Finally, finished with his tossing around, the man spoke.

"Who would leave a scraggly mutt like you out here?" he grunted, "Disgusting bastards, that's all people are around here. Fights over there, rapists under that building, robbers right beside you…yeesh! Personally, I think it's a little over-kill. Hm…bet if I fattened you up a little you'd be a pretty good guard dog."

Then the man looked at the puppy's sad, wrinkly face again and shook his head, "What am I thinking? You're too far gone, and I don't have time to waste. I'm on my way to America, you know, see the sights and settle into my new home. But first I have to get through _these_ parts of this country first. OK, here's what's going to happen: I'll keep you for now then see how useful you'll be."

He put the puppy in the bulging bag then went on his way again. Inside the warm area, the puppy was a little cramped with the various loose papers, colored folders, souvenirs from parts of the world, and a ratty passport. A small globe smacked the dog in the head. It had an 'X' across several countries. He wondered if the strange shapes really looked as such. Also, considering some place called 'America' was colored orange. How fun that land would be if it was truly orange! The bag moved along for what seemed for a short time. It was six hours but the soft swaying and warm atmosphere lulled him to sleep.

Sadiq, the Turkish man, had to keep looking over his shoulder for bandits, having being robbed of his watch already. The mutt in his satchel was barely any weight, which worried Sadiq greatly. He never had owning experience with dogs and wasn't looking forward to it. The moon, the only beautiful thing in the wintery night, started to wake up for the night life. In the dark the district would be even more dangerous. Sadiq peeked in his bag for his knife to defend himself when he saw the puppy asleep. The light brown animal was under a pile of loose papers. His knife was carelessly tossed in a corner instead of its proper pocket. He retrieved the weapon and, to his own surprise, stroked the tiny animal's boney head with his ring finger.

There was a hotel up ahead on the street. Like everything else in the country, its sign's once bright neon lights were now flickering between dead and alive and the building itself was falling apart. A part of the sign crashed to the ground, spreading glass everywhere. But it was still a place to sleep for the night; Sadiq was tired. He'd be in France by tomorrow if he woke up by six. He entered the hotel and walked into the ratty reception desk. A girl with cracked glasses on her face helped him check into a musty room. The carpet, when stepped on, gave a sudden stench.

When Sadiq was alone, he reached into his bag and obtained a can of sausages. Sadiq hated the things but it was perfect for the puppy. He took the collectable plate he brought from Greece out, placing the meat on it. Sadiq crushed the meat slightly; the puppy didn't seem to have to energy to chew whole food. Grabbing his bag, Sadiq emptied the contents on the bed. He hacked at the awful smell of the puppy when he tumbled onto the quilt. The animal needed a bath. The air outside was so sour his own smell was invisible. Sadiq, after getting a whiff of his skin, retreated into the bathroom for a shower.

* * *

The puppy woke up half an hour after being dumped on the hotel bed. It had an itchy cover with exotic flowers printed on it in messy colors. The disoriented puppy looked around for his savior but Sadiq wasn't around. On the floor there was plate of mashed meat. Fresh food was unreal to the dog. Once a 'meal' was a rat that was down on his luck, a stray kitten unable to move, or a few bites of a child sitting in the street. Also, the food was tasteless. Actually, maybe the meat now was a few days old and bland yet the puppy ate too fast to even notice.

Sadiq was taking a well-deserved shower in the bathroom. The hotel had few working lights and drunks were hanging around the entrance but it was a roof and walls to cover them. He was debating mentally with himself over his latest souvenir: a wrinkly russet puppy in need of a bath. Before he had attempted to believe the dog had an owner. But few beings in the rubbishy region had the money to keep a single piece of cloth on their bodies let alone a dog.

He sighed. He'd be doing a good deed by taking the little mutt along with him but who cared? The Turk expected his trip to America to be easy: get through Europe, enjoy a plane ride from France to America, and then go to his newly bought house. That was supposed to be where the story ended. Dogs were nowhere in the story.

A loud crash followed by cursing and crying exploded outside his window. These were the rougher parts of Europe, with gangs and stealing. Sadiq remembered having to pull his knife out on a pair of boys trying to make off with his passport. He didn't hurt them but gave one a kick in the leg before rushing off. The tiny mutt was still a puppy; he'd be killed in his current state. In a few months and meals the dog would be able to defend Sadiq if anything like that happened again. Sadiq's last home was in Greece. It had been occupied by his lover, himself, and seven cats of various colors. He was used to felines sitting on his lap, invading his bed, and simply being part of his life. The life was comfortable but he longed for a better tomorrow.

"Damn it, I'm finished with this! I'm taking him with me," Sadiq growled, drying off with a coarse towel.

Walking into his room to get clothing, a towel wrapped Sadiq watched his dog vacuum up his food. The puppy was small enough to fit in the plate while stuffing his boney face. Sadiq felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest at the sight of saving a life. He dressed in his bed clothes until he felt a tugging on his pants leg. The puppy was wrestling with the cloth. Hm, thought Sadiq, he's vicious already. Then again it wasn't as if Sadiq would be ambushed by a giant pair of pajama pants.

He jiggled his leg a bit to knock the puppy away, "Will you leave me alone…uh? I didn't give you name yet. OK, let's see…" Sadiq racked his mind for a proper name for the dog.

The puppy sat next to his owner, waiting for the answer. His mother didn't give him a name. He and his many brothers and sisters were all called the name thing: 'Pup'. He hoped his new title wasn't 'Pup'; there would be at least twenty other dogs called that.

"…Hm…OK, I've got it! Davut! Wait, no. Mahire would be good if you weren't a boy. Bark goes with the whole dog thing but it doesn't fit you. Ugh, why is this so hard?" Sadiq sighed, "Look, for now, I'll call you Dadaş because my older brother has a bunch of guard dogs that look like you. Sick little monsters, they are. They ate rabbits, fished in the exotic Koi pond, all seven of 'em jumped on you the second you came in the freaking door. Man, I just realized dogs are annoying! "

Dadaş wiggled his entire behind in happiness. He even dared to lick the man's hand as he bent to get something out of his messenger bag. He had a name now, which meant he wasn't alone or unimportant. This man wanted to take him to America but Dadaş had to prove himself worthy of keeping around. He wasn't all that large, powerful, or much to look at. Yet his mind and bravery were of the top tier. If he could just find the right opportunity, this man would care for him and he'd never have to retreat to the streets again.

* * *

I thought about this idea and here it is! For those who enjoyed Why Does He Care?, this will also become a Romance/Drama. But wasn't Dadaş cute at some point in his life? Read and Review! Next time: finally in France and heading to America with a bit of trouble on the way!


	2. Paris Paired

Dadaş happily peeked out of Sadiq's messenger bag earlier the next morning. Dreary grey clouds yawned and floated around as the sun started to push them apart. The winter air bit at his black nose but he didn't mind all that much. Sadiq was in a chipper mood today; the bag swung with every little skip the Turk made. The Turk was well-rested from his hotel stay. The day was brighter with birds chirping in a clear sky and the curving trees weren't dying from the smog of the puppy's old home. A furry moth fluttered by in a confused gait. An adventurous Dadaş snapped his tiny jaws at the insect, tickling Sadiq. Curiosity could be turned into ferocity and a sharp mind. Dadaş was already equipped with a clever brain but playing with a winged bug didn't exactly prove himself. Sadiq sniggered and rubbed Dadaş' auburn head.

"You're not too bright, are you?" Sadiq chuckled, "Alright let's check the map so we can get to France."

Sadiq dug in his bag for a moment past the puppy's wrinkly body. The new map he had purchased days before he left Greece was marked with the countries he had passed through. Albania, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and part of Switzerland were crossed through. He was currently on the edge of Switzerland. His traveler brother had mentioned how beautiful Switzerland was thus Sadiq stopped to take in the scenery. A white goat sluggishly chewed at puffy little weeds pretending to be flowers. The lush land was as green as his lover's eyes. This fact made it painful to look at the rolling hills; he had only been away for eleven days and missed his Greek darling.

* * *

It was a chilly Saturday morning when Sadiq was packing for America. His messenger bag was filled with clothing, food, and guides to both languages and areas. From the luxury double bed in the master bedroom, his lover had watched him carefully. Sometimes the Greek had tossed in something Sadiq had forgotten: a picture of their wedding day, pair of wool socks, or another item. Sadiq had longed for the Greek to go with him. The Turk was used to being around others. His life was always occupied by seven felines, his brother's annoying dogs, or other humans. But America meant a better life and not having to worry about your new car being stolen. He had tried to convince his spouse to join him in his trek to America but they had refused.

"Sadiq, I've said no every time you've asked me that," came their slightly annoyed reply.

"But I even bought a new house! It's big enough for both of us and the cats to live comfortably! Heck, the cats can have their own room," Sadiq had pleaded, "Come on, why won't you go?"

His mate had sighed wearily, running a hand through their semi-long brown locks. A lump underneath the sheets wriggled happily. The black and white head of Athena the kitten poked out from the covers. Hopping across the cream colored plain of covers, she crawled onto Sadiq's spouse's chest and purred. The Turk softened a little at the sight of the tiny animal. He sat, defeated, next to his lover in bed, scratching behind the kitten's ears.

"Can you at least tell me why?" Sadiq quietly murmured.

"Sadiq, this is your trip. I'll take mine when I need to," they sleepily said to Sadiq from their side of the double bed.

They caressed Sadiq's cheek, "You'll be OK. Have lots of fun, and when you get to America I want a letter telling me everything."

Sadiq nodded sadly, "Fine; I get it. But once I get settled and such, I'll come and get you, so be ready."

The other person smiled and agreed. While the adults talked about the future, Athena had found her way into Sadiq's bag, playing with a pair of white socks. Sadiq laughed and picked up the baby animal. She mewed loudly and licked his finger lovingly…..

* * *

His thoughts were interrupted by Dadaş licking his fingers. They were covered by leather gloves but Sadiq felt the slippery pink muscle wrap around his pinky. The dog would be a companion until his love decided it was time to 'take their trip'. He'd have to buy a harness, collar, food bowls—Sadiq shook himself. The animal was_ not_ a pet: he would be protection. Until he proved he could fight under the name of Sadiq, Dadaş had a chance of being left on the road again. Sadiq lifted the puppy out of his bag. The dog's new diet had started to cover his ribs and his tail wagged with gusto.

"OK, you walk from here on out. You're going to get heavy later and I'm sure as hell I'm not going to carry you. Stay close or you'll be left behind," Sadiq explained, putting Dadaş on the ground.

Dadaş yipped in agreement and followed Sadiq's heavy black boots. The dirt road of the countryside kept blowing dust into his oddly colored eyes but nothing would stop him. A bowl of meat had filled his belly earlier in the day and his energy bounced in rhythm with his paws. A cracked leaf brushed into their path. The puppy went near it as the lead fled the scene. As Dadaş chased after it, Sadiq reviewed his schedule.

"OK, so today we need to make it to France to board our flight first thing today. To do that, we'll take the train for an hour until we stop here," Sadiq pointed to a place on the map, "On the train we'll get lunch. We have to get off on time, or earlier if I'm going to sightsee, or else we'll miss our flight. And if that happens, I have to drag my sorry ass back to Greece as a failure."

And so, their quest carried on. The russet puppy pranced ahead, chasing insects, leaping on unsuspecting frogs, and tumbled with tourists' shoelaces. Others laughed at the clumsy baby animal while Sadiq apologized for his animal's antics. Then Sadiq noticed the advantage Dadaş gave him. When the puppy tripped over his own four paws, a young girl holding her father's hand giggled. Both girl and man were clothed in expensive garments. They were most certainly rich tourists from America: the girl sported a Gucci handbag and her father had six gold rings studded with rare jewels. Was everyone in America that rich? Maybe this was even middle-class for Americans! She whispered to her father in another language. The man smiled and picked up Dadaş. Sadiq grumbled as he stomped over.

"Ah, sir, is this your pooch?" the man asked cheerfully in garbled Turkish.

"Yeah, I'm sorry he bothered you," Sadiq answered, reclaiming his pet.

"No trouble! You quite enchanted my little angel here!" he exclaimed, gesturing at the child next to him. Then he pulled several American dollars from his back pocket, "But I think he could use a meal or two!"

Sadiq watched in disbelief as the man waved and walked away. Ten crisp bills sat in his gloved hand. Ten dollars fed all seven of his cats and provided a new collar for furry little Athena. He shook his head at the stupidity of tourists: fascinated by an apartment building, the types of greens the countries grew, and now by a scrawny, crumpled mutt. He stared at the money again. Then he took his gaze to Dadaş, who was flopping around with a lonely flower. With the money the scrawny beast could earn him, he could buy a hundred bodyguards instead of relying on his knife. Shaking his head Sadiq carried on with Dadaş charming others nearby. All the way to the station Dadaş flopped around like a ragdoll. After several tourists, nine dollars were added to the original ten. The scam could have kept going until a teenage boy glared when the puppy chewed his boots. His eyes burned and his Mohawk intimidated the tiny baby animal. With a swift kick, Dadaş was at Sadiq's feet in a panting heap.

"Keep an eye on your dog, bastard!" he called, flipping Sadiq a finger sign he couldn't understand.

The fluttering happiness in Sadiq's mind flattening to a lukewarm void in a matter of seconds after the cursing boy sauntered away.

* * *

The train station was a noisy place overflowing with pushy people. Afraid of losing his money-maker, Sadiq had Dadaş in his arms again. The puppy was terrified of the strange sounds: trains coming to a screaming stop, children crying for candy, and thick smells encasing the air. Had they come back to his home? A bottle broke somewhere behind him. Yes, Dadaş thought, I'm sure we're back. He wilted as their train shrieked its arrival on the shiny tracks. He had not satisfied the man enough; now he was being returned. Maybe his green bin would still be there if someone hadn't stolen it for a table or to carry illegal drugs. He'd have to find another newspaper for sure, though.

Sadiq plopped his mutt in the seat next to him in the train. The train was equipped with plush seats and sparkling lights. He bounced a little as the train chugged off to Paris, France. The Turk sighed. Paris was supposed to be the most beautiful city in the world. He wondered if he could just stop there and his beloved would come along to live in perfection and romance. Opening up his map of France Sadiq witnessed happy people in weird hats eating oddly shaped bread. Bread was supposed to be a dark brown with herbs sprinkled on top. Why was this golden substance so long? It looked a lot like pale gold. He rubbed his hands together in greed: if he could get even just a few pieces of 'gold' bread, he'd make millions selling it off. The French are either idiots or rich, Sadiq wondered, pfft, eating gold bread.

Dadaş whined from his seat. He was hungry from the long trek across Switzerland. His side was also bruised from the mean teenager's rough kick. Sadiq said they were getting lunch at some point, whatever lunch was. It was almost like 'munch' but it started funny. The Turk growled at him, silencing the cries of hunger. But his stomach had other ideas. It roared with the ferocity of a tiger, thrashing around the half-digested food in his tiny belly and screaming for more. Everyone in the train turned to the beast, which was looking down at his guilty belly. A man in a puffy coat looked hard at Sadiq and Sadiq chuckled nervously. An attendant rushed over and offered her assistance. Bright red curls flew all over as she raced to Sadiq's side.

"Don't worry everyone, I've got this!" she assured to no one in particular, "What can I melp—no, no, help you with, sir? Well, I don't mean 'no' to helping you. That's what they hired me for!"

"Yeah, this train does serve food, right?" Sadiq sheepishly asked.

The bubbly redhead nodded her head of curls and chirped in French, "Yep, we sure do! May I suggest the meatloaf with broccoli, no wait! I should say the tomato soup…thumbs down, we're on a train! That would spill! Oh! I know! How about a stuffed baguette? They're tasty with all of the meat and stuff!"

Sadiq cleared his head of her muddled words, "Uh, yeah, the baguette sounds nice."

"OK! I'll be back in a flash!" she called as she bounced away.

Sadiq glared at Dadaş. Now he was losing the money he'd earned. Nineteen dollars plus the five hundred he had brought along to pay for a few things. The sandwich didn't sound so cheap, especially if it was on gold bread. He'd never be able to pay. The woman returned, a warm plate in her hand. She whisked off the white sheet covered the food, revealing a sandwich with a lettuce, ham, sausage, and cheese bulge. It was just as bad as Sadiq imagined: the bread was a charming golden color.

"Here's your baguette!" she presented, "We accept both French money and American! Oh, wait, that was supposed to be at the end…whatever! OK, so that'll be three dollars, sir!"

Three dollars! Sadiq winced as he gave the smiling lady her payment. Those were three pieces of money he'd never see again. They were also four snacks, a souvenir, and a secondhand scarf. The sandwich, on the other hand, was well worth it. He enjoyed it without all of the meat he payed for, thanks to Dadaş' needs. If he had never gotten some stupid mutt from the streets…

* * *

After his meal, Sadiq started to drift into sleep. He hated to do so; he might miss his stop at Paris. But the seats were plush and the train was very warm compared to the frigid air outside. Relaxing for a bit wouldn't kill him. As Sadiq fell asleep Dadaş smiled out the window. The extraordinary world passed by in a colorful blur. It was wonderful to see. He wondered what Paris would be like. Maybe he'd find one of his brothers and sisters. Paris had the word 'pair' in it, so he'd have to find someone to make a pair. They could be a family again. Sadiq snorted in his sleep, discouraging Dadaş. It was as if the idea of him having a family was hilarious even in sleep. He snuggled under Sadiq's arm until the call for Paris rang out loudly. He couldn't understand the language but he heard 'Paris'.

Sadiq felt himself being nudged, "Hm, stop." But it carried on until he angrily awoke only to find Dadaş trying to wake him up.

"What do you want, Dadaş?" he grumbled, wiping his eyes, "Ugh, are we in France already?"

His question was answered as the loudspeaker yelled again. Sadiq grabbed his bag and rubbed Dadaş on the head. So the mutt had a brain in his skull after all. The train trailed on for a few more seconds before coming to a stop. Sadiq picked up Dadaş in his strong arms as the metal doors of the train opened.

Like a door opening to a grand wedding, Paris unfolded the more Sadiq walked. Even the French train station had flowers and singing birds. Around one corner in Paris, a tiny wine shop stood. A few hops to the left brought the Turk and puppy to a neighborhood. Unlike Dadaş' home, the children played in the streets instead of working. A man on an expensive scooter raced by with his girlfriend clinging to his waist and barely missed a child. Two elderly women walked their tiny poodles on pink leashes. It was both horrifying and fantastic to the newcomers. Sadiq was considering going around the bend to see what it held in store until he slapped himself.

"Wait! I don't have time to sightsee!" he growled, looking at his watch, "I should get to the airport already. So if we're here, then the airport is—wait. I don't see this village on the map! Crap!"

* * *

Oh, god. Looks like Sadiq's screwed already and we're not even NEAR America! Next time: our heroes SOMEHOW get out of this (maybe) and get settled in America (kind of). P.S: Sorry this took so long...I've been feeling awful for the past few days and I'm back in school (with projects on the first day. WHO DOES THAT?!) so this'll be updated on weekends. So, next Sunday, expect a chapter! Read and Review, please! :)


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